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Post by smokey on Jan 1, 2015 11:49:00 GMT 10
I go through a lot of honey and have been buying it from a local bee keeper at $10 kg
Contemplating the idea of my own hive. Anyone done it before?
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Post by Gus65 on Jan 1, 2015 12:45:51 GMT 10
No but I've thought about it a bit. Local Adult Ed does a beekeeping course and I've got the space and plenty of bush next door in the state forest.
One of the things, I suppose, is balancing out the cost of getting the gear and getting set up against how much honey costs. In the long run its got to work out cheaper but how long will it take to break even, how much time does it chew from an already busy schedule.
If its a hobby then cost isn't everything, the relaxation of doing it, the satisfaction of consuming something you've been part of making out weighs the cost.
As always Google will be a help in deciding, there's got to be a forum for it. There's one for just about everything these days.
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Post by smokey on Jan 1, 2015 14:14:31 GMT 10
Yeh, that's what I need to think about.
Have a similar property set up to you only we don't have the big gum tree forests.
Its more dense rain Forrest. The honey up here often has a leather wood flavour. Don't know what they are chewing on that gives that profile but it's really good.
There is a Gold Coast Bee society I tracked down. It looks like I may be able to rent some of the equipment when needed.
It sells well so maybe that could help some of the cost.
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Post by chrisg on Jan 1, 2015 17:23:48 GMT 10
Not any more, did some years ago and members of the family still do.
I had to stop keeping them initially because one of my daughters turned out to be very allergic to bee venom then later moved into a council area that makes it very difficult to have enough hives to make it worthwhile.
If you have a bit of property and especially trees nearby then it's well worth it so long as no one has the allergy problem.
From my family experience three hives are enough, but more is not really much of an increase in labor within reason, and overall the work is not massive, but it's a very good idea to get associated with a local group.
Cheers
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Post by shayneh2006 on Jan 1, 2015 21:06:07 GMT 10
Yep, im the same as chris's daughter,, alergic to their sting which is a bummer as i have thought of it before, keeping that is. ATM, there is a real shortage of Bees around here, so bad, that i have to manually pollinate my Zucchinis so they set fruit  .... I dont know where they all are,, its weird. Agree with Angus's coments towards the end of his post.... If its a hobby, just foget what the costs are. Take veggie gardening say. Right now, we are eating a heap of the best tasting home grown tomatoes, from 8 different variaties. The truth said, if one was to work out the cost to grow them, at a stab in the dark, they have probably cost me $10/kg to grow + time and effort. Each time i taste em though, its all worth it. That, and its an enjoyable hobby. Time is the main factor with anything and if you can spare enough to see your bee keeping suceed Mick,,, i say "go for it" Shayne |
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osdave
Junior Member
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Post by osdave on Mar 5, 2015 5:48:42 GMT 10
These fellas seem to have made it a bit easier ABC article |
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Post by smokey on Mar 5, 2015 8:55:11 GMT 10
Wow, that might just tip me over on the idea  Thanks for that |
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Post by Gus65 on Mar 5, 2015 9:14:30 GMT 10
Saw this on TV the other night and was impressed by the ingenuity of Australians yet again.As usual the first thing asked was why hasn't anyone thought of it before.
Hope I can afford one or two when they come on the market.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2015 20:28:11 GMT 10
G'day Im allergic to to European bees as well. I used to work with a great uncle with his bees and was fascinated with them. But after a few stings over time it became evident, there was no way I would become a bee keeper. I've discovered Australian stingless native bees. They certainly don't produce a great amount of honey but they are great guys to have around the place. My original hive has been split many times now and is all over Brisbane. Bit by bit these small little pollinators are back. www.fornobravo.com/forum/f16/firewood-gathering-little-surprises-20030.html#post163473Sorry.., another forum but this explains a bit more. I haven't yet figured out the pic post yet Regards dave |
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Post by smokey on Mar 14, 2015 21:03:29 GMT 10
I'm thinking of this path Dave. pets and pollinators or cranky bees and honey??
I know they only make a little honey but Aparently its unique. never tasted it.
Id love to get on the trombone with you as the more I've been looking into it, Native bees seem the better option for my situation.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2015 14:58:29 GMT 10
Gday A day off and just a great day to see if I can get some honey from my home hive. Pic shows the tools of trade. The spiky thing is a block of ply with a stack of skewers. It's the burst the honey cells. I've seen this tool in pics made of sharpened nails but knowing how sticky that comb is something like that would be impossible to clean. This is my disposable version. A paint scaper to crack the top section and the wire to draw through the wax of the comb to separate the top third "the super", from the main hive. If this super turns out well it should contain wax cells of honey and none of the brood, the part of the hive with the baby bees and the breeding section the hive needs for survival  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2015 15:14:42 GMT 10
G'day Sorry if I break things into sections, but have just figured out the pic thing on my IPhone. "Huston we have separation!" Turns out perfect !!! No brood cells at all. As you can see from the pic the round things in the middle are the honey cells called pots. The outside layer that goes around that is built of harder wax to protect the middle. It is full of passage ways and it's how the bees move around the hive.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2015 16:54:55 GMT 10
Gday With the hive open there was no time and too sticky hands for pics. These bees don't sting, but open thier home and they do bite. Not hard or anything they are just to small. You can feel them when they get up you shirt sleeves and bite you on the armpit. They will crawl in you ears and mouth and with hands covered with honey there is not much you can do about it. At one stage there I got a couple up my nose, I automatically put my hand up and blew them out. With honey on one thong I limped a haste retreat to the laundry to wash up and remove the couple of the little troublemakers from my shorts at the same time. The pricky thing worked well but the coffee filter would let the honey through. So it was back to plan B the old pillow case. I upended the super over the corner of an old pillow case and added some of the wax and such. It was just case of squeeze it into a corner and the filtered honey flowed out the tip. Just like when we raided hives in hollow logs as kids. Bet my mum still doesn't know how her pillowcases got the waxy stains. i got a couple of small jars of honey, they are a bit cloudy from air bubbles from getting squeezed through the pillow case but that will clear. Regards dave  |
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Post by smokey on Mar 17, 2015 17:38:19 GMT 10
Good score for natives, Looks like you had a fun day Very informative, I'm watching like a hawk. |
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.... I dont know where they all are,, its weird.
